JinnoroGuides · Personal · 5 min read
Break a yearly goal into projects and next steps
Turn big goals into projects with concrete first steps, and keep them moving with a Next Actions label.
Goals fail in the gap between “I want to run a half marathon” and “what do I do on Monday?”. The fix is to make each goal a project, and to always have one concrete next step ready.
This guide builds a Goals for the year folder, with one project per goal, and a Next Actions label for the small steps that keep each goal moving.
Step 1
Make a folder and a project per goal
Create Goals for the year, and a subproject for each goal: Run a half marathon, Learn the piano, Save for a trip. Keep it to three to five. More than that, and none of them move.
Step 2
Add the first steps, then the milestones
Write the first concrete step for each goal now, such as “Buy proper running shoes”. Then add milestones with dates, such as “Register for the spring race”. Skip the middle: you will fill it in as you learn.
Step 3
Turn habits into subtasks
Some goals need a rhythm, not a deadline. Open a task like “Run three times a week” and add a subtask for each session. Check them off during the week.
Step 4
Mark one Next Action per goal
Create a label Next Actions. Put it on the one step you will take next for each goal. The label page then shows you three things to do this week, one for each goal.
Step 5
Add ideas as they come
Press Q with the project name to add things to a goal while it is on your mind.
Look at the folder once a month. If a goal has not had a next step for a while, either add one or remove the goal on purpose. That is a decision, and it is a healthy one. For the weekly habit that supports this, see running a weekly review.
